Final Fantasy XV: Fighting Fate
by WolfieRed23
Summary: When a group of children want to hear the legend of the King of Light, they're surprised by what they hear. Join them as they hear the story of Noctis and his companions, Gladiolus, Ignis, Prompto, Nova and Solis as they journey to save Eos from eternal darkness. OC/Noctis OC/Luna
1. Chapter 1:Prologue

It was a peaceful, ordinary day in the kingdom of Lucis as a group of children, all wearing identical school uniforms, ran home.

"I still don't think it's real." One of the girls said as she ran.

"Oh come on, it _has_ to be!" A boy protested, "He _was_ a king of Lucius, after all! And he's in our history books!"

"But that doesn't mean everything the legend say about him is true." Another boy argued, to which the first girl nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, they could've just made some stuff up to make it more interesting!" The first girl added.

"Come on, who can come up with stuff like all that?" Another girl asked. "I mean, one king doing all this incredible stuff by himself, you can't make that up!"

"Yes, you can." The second boy stated.

"Well then how about we ask my grandma and your grandpa?" The first boy suggested. "They were alive when the king was, right?"

"Yeah…alright, let's see who's right then." The first girl agreed.

* * *

The children arrived home a few minutes later; their argument paused until they spoke to their respective grandparents, who were siblings. They found said grandparents in their home's sitting room when they arrived.

"Grandma!" The second girl cried. "Can you help us?"

"With what, dear Lucy?" Grandma asked.

"Ben learned about the legend of the King of Light in school today and he thinks it's real." Lucy answered as she gestured to her older brother, who nodded in agreement.

"And you two don't think it is?" Grandpa asked as he looked at his own grandchildren.

"Of course not!" The first girl protested. "There's no _way_ it's all true!"

"Mia's right, it's probably based on what really happened but it's not all true." Mia's younger twin brother, Matthew, agreed.

Grandma and Grandpa shared a look before they both stood up.

"Wait right here." Grandma instructed with a smile. Instantly, the four children sat down in a half circle around the chairs the grandparents were sitting in as the two grandparents walked out.

Minutes later, Grandma returned with a journal in her hands. Following her was Grandpa, who was carrying a thick photo album.

"You want to know the story of the King of Light, right?" Grandpa asked. At the children's eager nods, the elderly man opened up the photo album to the first page and handed it to Ben, the oldest of the elderly man's great-nieces and nephews.

Ben held the photo album in his lap as his sister and cousins looked at it with him. The first page had only one picture.

The picture showed a group of six people, five men and one woman. They stood in front of a black Regalia, four of the men standing close with the woman standing beside them and the last man standing a fair distance away. Only the last man looked uncomfortable, the rest looked quite close.

Under the picture was a message scrawled in messy handwriting.

 _This was the first picture I took of all of us, right before our journey started. Kinda crazy, looking back at this. I hope you kids enjoy this album and remember that your parents love you, even more than the rest of us do._

"What is this?" Lucy whispered, knowing this was special to her grandmother.

"This is an album filled with pictures from the King of Light's journey." Grandma explained. "And this," she added, holding up the journal she held. "is a journal of a member of that party who wrote everything that happened down."

"Who's?" Matthew asked.

"The man in the center, of course! King Noctis Lucis Caelum." Grandpa answered.

"You mean…the legend's real?" Mia whispered, shocked.

"Of course, though it isn't entirely accurate." Grandma shook her head.

"Do you want to hear what truly happened?" Grandpa asked.

"You'll tell us?" Ben asked eagerly.

Grandma looked at Grandpa.

"Do you think they're ready?" She whispered.

"I think they are, little sister." Grandpa nodded. Nodding in agreement, Grandma opened the journal and began to read.

* * *

" _Today, I am leaving home to go to Altissia to marry my childhood friend, Luna. The only reason I'm writing this is to please Ignis, he thinks it'll help but I doubt that. To be honest, I'm not in love with Luna, though she is a good friend. But I need to make sacrifices in order to protect my kingdom and that's what I'll do."_

* * *

Noctis stood before his father, King Regis, with Gladiolus, Prompto and Ignis behind him. Beside Regis was Alexandros Lux Venefica, the Enchanter charged with protecting the king. Further was Alexandros' daughter, Novalee, saying goodbye to her young children, Chiara and Dante.

Novalee, or Nova, had long light brown hair that she wore in a low bun at the moment though a few strands were free to frame her face. Her eyes were a warm hazel color and she wore a sky blue shirt under a long sleeve leather jacket she borrowed from Noctis, black jeans and combat boots as well as a motorcycle glovelet on her right hand.

Chiara and Dante, despite being twins, looked nothing alike. At only four years old, Chiara had long black hair and hazel eyes while Dante had short light brown hair and blue eyes. But as they clung to their young mother, it was obvious neither wanted her to leave.

Quickly, Noctis looked away from them.

"The decreed hour is come." Regis said. "To guide you, Tenebrae has sent Solis Praesidio." As the king spoke, a young man around Noctis' age walked towards the prince's company.

Solis had reddish brown hair that was long enough to reach his shoulder and green eyes. He wore black pants, shoes and jacket with a dark green shirt and a strange black backpack. Around his neck, he wore a necklace, though the charm was tucked into his shirt, hidden from view.

"Your Highness, it is an honor to travel with you." Solis said as he bowed to the prince.

"Thanks. Welcome aboard." Noctis greeted. This seemed to startle Solis before he straightened up and moved to join Gladiolus, Ignis and Prompto.

"Set forth with my blessing, Prince Noctis." Regis said. Noctis bowed to his father.

"Thank you…Your Majesty." He said.

"Take your leave, and go in the grace of the gods." Regis stated.

"Right." Noctis said. His eyes once again darted over to Nova as she continued to say goodbye to her children before he turned around and left the throne room without another word.

Gladiolus, Prompto, Ignis and Solis turned as Noctis left before they hurriedly bowed to Regis and ran after the prince. Nova followed right behind them, trying to catch up.

"Well, princes will be princes." Prompto commented as they followed Noctis.

"So much for royal protocol." Ignis added as they began to walk down the steps outside the castle.

"Not like you had to deliver a formal address…" Gladiolus stated.

"Did you really have to leave your dad like that though?" Nova asked as she ran forward so Noctis was forced to look at her. "Honestly, Noct, what was that about?"

"Nothing Nova." Noctis stated.

"Yeah, right, sure. Like I'd believe that for two seconds." Nova rolled her eyes. "He may be king but he's still your dad."

"I don't think he can forget something like that." Prompto said.

"It _is_ highly unlikely." Ignis agreed.

"Oh you know what I meant." Nova rolled her eyes again.

"Do we really?" Gladiolus teased the only girl.

Solis simply stared at the group as they interacted so easily, so freely.

"Your Highness!" Drautos called, causing the party to stop and turn only to see Regis walking down the steps with his cane, Drautos and Alexandros by his side.

"What now?" Noctis asked as he walked over to his father. Nova joined him, walking over to her own.

"You didn't think you could leave without saying goodbye, did you?" Alexandros asked as he hugged his only daughter tightly and kissed the top of her head. "Be safe."

"I will, watch Chiara and Dante for me please. I'll be back soon." Nova promised. Alexandros nodded as his right hand rested on his daughter's right arm. "Don't worry, I won't forget." Nova whispered as she touched her own father's right arm.

Both of Alexandros' arms had identical tattoos on them that looked as if sky blue and orange beads were wrapped around his arms, wrapped around his middle finger and his shoulder so they never ended. They were the marks of the Enchanter.

"I fear I have left too much unsaid." Regis said as Noctis reached him. "You place a great burden on those who would bear with you."

"You're one to talk." Noctis quipped.

"I ask not that you guide my way word son, merely that you remain at his side." Regis said as he spoke to the four men and one woman who would be traveling with Noctis.

"Indeed, Your Grace." Ignis bowed.

"We'll see the prince to Altissia if it's the last thing we see." Gladiolus vowed before he too bowed.

"Yeah, what he said." Prompto nodded.

"I'll protect your son just like my father protects you, Your Majesty." Nova swore as she walked over to stand beside Noctis while Alexandros joined Regis.

"I shall not leave His Highness's side until my duty is complete, Your Majesty." Solis stated as he bowed.

"Hate to break this up, but Cor's got the motor running." Noctis cut in dryly. "Drautos, Alexandros, he's in your hands."

"And another thing." Regis spoke up as Noctis started to walk away. Noctis turned back to his father. "Do mind your manners around your charming bride-to-be."

Unnoticed by all save one, Nova's fingers twitched.

"Your Majesty, as well." Noctis said as he bowed to his father once again. "Try to mind yours around our esteemed guests from Niflheim."

"You have no cause for concern." Regis assured as Noctis straightened. While the rest of the party got in the Regalia, Nova and Noctis stayed near Regis.

"Nor do you." Noctis stated.

"Take heed. Once you set forth, you cannot turn back." Regis said.

"You think I would?" Noctis questioned.

"I need only know that you are ready to leave home behind." Regis clarified.

"Don't know about you, but I'm as ready as I'll ever be." Noctis said confidently. He tried to leave again when his father spoke up.

"Take care on the long road." Regis said. "Wheresoever you should go, the line of Lucis goes with you." Placing a hand on his son's shoulder, Regis spoke his final words. "Walk tall, my son."

Noctis nodded, smiled at his father one last time and made his way to the Regalia with Nova at his side.

Before they set off, Prompto had Cor take a picture of the party of six with the Regalia. Then they got in the car, Ignis at the wheel, and set off.

* * *

 _"Now we're on the road to Altissia, where I will be wed to my childhood friend for peace and at the sacrifice of marrying the woman I love. But it is a worthwhile sacrifice, a necessary one, and one that I will gladly make if it means my people are in no danger of war."_

* * *

" _You mean it was an arranged marriage?" Mia cried._

" _That's right." Grandma nodded._

" _But weren't Lady Lunafreya and King Noctis in love?" Lucy asked._

" _No, they were simply good friends. Their wedding was for peace, not for love." Grandpa explained._

" _Why do you girls care so much about King Noctis' love life? When do they start with the battles?" Matthew asked._

" _Yeah! When does King Noctis fight Titan and Leviathan and…and Irfrit?" Ben asked._

" _Soon, don't you worry." Grandma assured with a smile._

" _How do you have this stuff anyway?" Mia suddenly asked._

" _Now that, that's a secret." Grandpa winked. "Now who's ready for the next part?"_

 _All four children raised their hands._

* * *

 **Hi and thank you all for reading this first chapter. I'm only posting this cause I'm really excited about the idea and I have time. I still do not have a laptop sadly so updates will not be often. Thanks to EmeraldWings1992 for the help and ideas as well as listening to me. I hope you guys enjoy, leave a review to let me know what you think. Later!**


	2. Chapter 2:Journey's Beginning

Barely hours later, the Regalia had broken down and the party was exhausted. Nova and Ignis were in the car, Ignis steering and Nova being deemed not strong enough to push the car. Gladiolus was trying to wave down a car and failing. Noctis and Solis were sitting at the back of the car, catching their breath. Prompto had collapsed onto his back.

* * *

 _"_ _Wait, their car, a_ Regalia _,_ broke down _?!" Ben cried as he looked up at his grandmother and great-uncle._

 _"_ _Yes." Grandma nodded, an amused smile coming over her face._

 _"_ How _?!" Matthew cried, shocked. He and Ben loved cars and hoped to buy a Regalia themselves when they were older._

 _"_ _No one knows." Grandpa chuckled._

 _"_ _Who cares about a car?" Mia whined, her head falling back as she did._

 _"_ _Please keep reading, Grandma!" Lucy begged, giving her grandmother the biggest puppy dog eyes she could._

 _"_ _Alright." Grandma chuckled as she returned to the journal._

* * *

 _"_ _Don't ask me how this happened, but the Regalia broke down and I swear Gladio's trying to kill us by making us push this damn car!"_

* * *

"I think we can forget about hitching our way there…" Gladiolus sighed as yet another car passed them. "Thought people were friendly outside the city."

"You can only go so far on the kindness of strangers." Ignis stated.

"Just gonna have to push her all the way." Gladiolus conceded.

"This ever happen to you?" Noctis turned to ask Solis, who straightened instantly as the prince spoke to him.

"No, Your Highness…I haven't traveled outside of Tenebrae that often." Solis admitted as he wiped sweat out of his eyes.

All the men had removed their jackets and vests as the heat got to them. Nova, despite the sweat clinging to her skin, was the only one to keep her leather jacket on. Solis seemed to be the only one confused by this.

"Stop calling me that." Noctis groaned as his head fell back and hit the Regalia. "Call me Noct or Noctis."

"That would be inappropriate!" Solis protested.

"Hate to break this up, but we gotta get pushing." Gladiolus cut in.

"I've already pushed myself…to the brink of death." Prompto whined.

"Quit whining, this is your guys' fault!" Nova cried, glaring at the men.

"How is it our fault if we had no idea?" Noctis asked, exasperated.

"Because you idiots didn't think to check everything out before we left and now we're stuck here." Nova growled.

"Says the girl…who doesn't have to push." Prompto tried to join in.

"Weaklings." Nova shook her head as she turned away again.

"Oh, get up you three." Gladiolus said as he reached the back of the Regalia. "C'mon, car isn't gonna move itself." As the four got into their positions to push, Prompto continued to whine and Noctis continued to groan.

"I thought the car was supposed to move _us_." Prompto said.

"Wouldn't that be nice…" Noctis sighed.

"Can it. Ready…Steady…" Gladiolus counted down, bringing groans from Prompto and Noctis while Solis simply prepared for the inevitable. " _PUSH!_ "

As they began to push, Noctis began to complain between his grunts.

"Un. Believable." The prince grunted.

"Not exactly a fairy tale beginning, huh, Prince Noctis?" Gladiolus teased.

"We let ourselves get carried away." Ignis stated.

"No kidding." Nova scowled as she crossed her arms.

"Look, these things happen." Prompto tried to be optimistic.

"Do they happen often?" Solis grunted almost sarcastically.

"Let's just hope this isn't some omen." Gladiolus said.

"Gladio, do me a favor." Noctis bit out.

"What?" Gladiolus asked.

"Push this thing by yourself." Noctis stated.

"All by myself?" Gladiolus repeated.

"That seems unwise." Solis cut in.

"Aw, come on, you won't even notice if we just let go." Prompto grinned.

"Prompto, don't even think about it." Gladiolus growled.

"Save some breath for pushing." Ignis quipped.

"Ignis, c'mon, time to switch!" Noctis grunted.

"Nuh-uh! We just switched back there!" Gladiolus cut in.

"Nice try, Noct. No getting out of this." Nova stated as she wiped more sweat away, her breath coming in as fast as the men's.

"And it's my turn, Noct." Prompto added with a grin.

"His 'turn'." Ignis rolled his eyes.

"Is this actually normal?" Solis whispered.

"The car? No. Their antics? Yes." Ignis, who heard the escort, answered.

"Hey!" Noctis and Prompto cried.

"He's not wrong." Nova smirked.

"Nova is included in that statement." Ignis said.

"Ignis!" Nova cried as Noctis, Prompto, Ignis and even the quiet Solis began to laugh.

"Less laughing, more pushing!" Gladiolus cut in.

"My hands are killing me." Prompto groaned.

"You rather I kill you with mine?" Gladiolus asked, completely serious.

"Easy there, tough guy." Prompto backed off.

"Any luck?" Noctis asked.

"Only a busy signal." Ignis shook his head.

"Based off this, what kinda luck were you expecting?" Nova questioned.

"Enough to get us out of this." Noctis quipped.

"Hold the phone-is it just me, or was it supposed to be way closer?" Prompto asked.

"I assure you the map is correct." Ignis said.

"The conversion is where the trouble lies." Solis added.

"The map said Hammerhead was right there." Noctis argued.

"Literally next door." Prompto joined in.

"Looks that way on a map of the world." Gladiolus agreed.

"What, were you expecting a five minute walk?" Nova said bitingly.

"No, just…not this." Prompto finished lamely.

"The world's a big old place." Noctis stated.

"Filled with wonders." Ignis agreed.

"Tell that to my legs." Prompto grunted.

"Are you guys even pushing?" Gladiolus asked.

"Hard as I can." Prompto stated.

"With everything I've got." Noctis added.

"You expect us to do nothing?" Solis managed to ask.

"No, I expect _them_ to do nothing." Gladiolus answered.

"Harsh." Noctis and Prompto said in unison.

"Welcome to the real world." Ignis and Nova added in unison.

* * *

 _"_ _We finally reached Hammerhead with Gladio pushing us harder than I thought possible. And Nova's comments weren't helping much, nor did Solis insisting on calling me 'Your Highness'. Though they did provide a welcome distraction from Prompto and I's plan to kill Gladio and vice versa. That's to say, I was very happy when we reached Hammerhead."_

* * *

When they finally reached Hammerhead, Prompto, Noctis and Solis collapsed on the ground as Ignis and Gladiolus got up and waited for the mechanic to come. Nova was laying in the Regalia, exhausted yet none of the men knew how.

"Hey there, y'all kept a girl waitin'!" The welcome voice of the mechanic said. "Now, which one's the prince?" At his title, Noctis stood up while Nova sat up and Prompto and Solis stood. "Aha! Hello, Your Highness. Congrats on your wedding!"

Noctis instantly looked down, though his eyes darted to the Regalia quickly. Nova's fingers twitched once again. Solis reached into the Regalia and pulled out his backpack before he began to check it over.

Ignis watched all three of them with a critical eye.

"Not hitched just yet." Noctis contradicted, his voice catching as he looked away from the Regalia.

"Lady Lunafreya's groom-to-be, here in Hammerhead." The mechanic said in disbelief.

"Apologies for taking so long." Ignis cut in, changing the subject.

"You'd best save your apologies for Paw-paw." The mechanic shook her head, smiling an amused smile as she examined the Regalia.

"Well, that makes you…" Gladiolus trailed off.

"Cindy-Cid's grease-monkey granddaughter." The mechanic, Cindy, smiled.

* * *

 _"_ _The mechanic's a_ girl _?!" Matthew cried._

 _"_ _Is that really so strange?" Mia challenged, glaring at her brother._

 _"_ _Keep_ reading _!" Lucy cut in as her cousins started to bicker._

* * *

"Roll 'er in while I'm still young!" A voice that could only belong to Cid ordered. "Didn't yer daddy tell ya? She's a custom classic, not some beat-up ol' clunker." Cid began to examine the car before he looked up and saw the prince. "Prince Noctis."

"Uh, yeah." Noctis confirmed.

"He wasn't asking who you are, idiot." Nova said as she jumped out of the Regalia and punched Noctis in the arm, causing him to flinch the slightest bit and her to smile a closed smile.

"'Prince'. Like they took your old man and kicked the dignity out of him." Cid continued, ignoring the exchange between the two.

"What?" Noctis asked.

"You got a long way to go, son. And that slack jaw's gettin' you nowhere fast." Cid stated. He examined the Regalia for a minute before he spoke again. "She's gonna take a while. Y'all get her in and run along." Cindy sighed as her grandfather walked away before she faced the party.

"Y'all heard him! Let's get movin'. Right this way." She smiled.

* * *

Once the Regalia was safely in the garage, after many complaints from Prompto to have to _push again_ , Ignis spoke up.

"And now we play the waiting game." He said.

"Never liked that game." Prompto shook his head.

"Never any good at it, either." Noctis quipped with a smile.

"Look who's talking." Nova nudged the prince's shoulder as she spoke.

* * *

 _"_ _Cindy gave us a map of the area and then Ignis had the joy of telling me we're flat broke. And, according to Cindy, this is Cid's way of teaching us a lesson. Fantastic. Of course, then she mentioned some 'varmints' that she'd be happy to pay us for if we got rid of them. Looks like we've got no choice."_

* * *

"So much for finding an easy way out…thanks a lot, 'Paw-paw'." Prompto sighed.

"Might as well get to work, right Your Highness?" Solis said as he straightened his backpack.

"Please, stop calling me that." Noctis was close to begging. _Why does he insist on that?_

"Well if you guys don't mind, I'm gonna stay here, maybe find some non-hunting work." Nova spoke up.

"What?" Noctis asked as he turned to look at her. _Why would she not want to-oh. Right._

"I'll just be a phone call away, don't worry." Nova smiled reassuringly as she patted Noctis gently on the arm. "Besides, _you're_ the ones hunting, not me."

"Yeah, I get it." Noctis chuckled, "See you back here."

"See you." Nova waved.

"Later, Novalee!" Prompto called when he was a good distance away.

"I told you not to call me that!" Nova screamed but there was nothing she could do to get back at the blonde, which made him laugh. "I'll get you when you get back here, Prompto!"

"That's a promise!" Prompto called back cheekily before he turned and continued walking.

* * *

As the party walked, Prompto spoke up.

"So, uh, where are we headed anyway?" He asked.

"Nowhere until the repairs are done. Then we head for Galdin Quay." Ignis answered.

"And after that, we hop a boat, and before you know it, loverboy's hitched." Gladiolus added, not noticing the glare Noctis sent his way.

Ignis watched the prince carefully.

"Wait for car repairs, then wedding bells in the air. Got it!" Prompto tried to smile but couldn't quite manage it as he glanced at Noctis.

Solis was busying himself with his backpack.

"Why are you messing with that, anyway?" Prompto asked suddenly.

"I made this myself…I don't want it to break when I need it." Solis admitted.

"What do you mean?" Prompto asked.

Solis was about to answer when he saw something else that grabbed his attention.

"Noctis!" Solis cried as he reached back and suddenly threw a dagger at a beast that was about to jump the prince.

"What the-?!" Noctis cried but before he could say anything, Solis threw a spear that pierced the heart of the beast and killed it.

"How did you _do_ that?!" Prompto cried as he stared at the now calm escort, who was back to adjusting his backpack again.

"My backpack." Solis admitted. "It creates weapons of all sorts for me. All I have to do is reach back and the necessary weapon will form. Like this." He reached back and the rest of the party watched in awe as a sword's hilt was built into his hand. He then pulled it out and there was a whole sword.

"That's awesome!" Prompto cried.

"Never seen anything like it." Gladiolus commented.

"I made it myself." Solis blushed in embarrassment.

"Very nice craftsmanship." Ignis nodded in approval.

"Nice job. And you called me 'Noctis', by the way." Noctis spoke up. Eyes widening, Solis quickly began to bow until Noctis grabbed his arm and pulled him up.

"Your Highness-" Solis started when Noctis completely covered his mouth with his hand.

"No more of this 'Highness' stuff. I'm just Noctis to you, okay?" Noctis said.

Slowly, the escort nodded.

"Good." Noctis smiled. "Now let's get back to work."

* * *

Within a few minutes, the monsters were all taken care of.

"Mission complete." Gladiolus said.

Just then, Noctis' phone rang.

"I don't think this is over yet." Prompto sighed.

"Who could this be?" Noctis asked as he took out his phone and answered it. "Hello?"

"Hey, it's Cindy. How goes the huntin'?" Cindy asked.

 _How'd she get my number?_

"Actually, we just finished." Noctis informed the mechanic.

"That's great, cause I got one more hunt for y'all-only this time it's for a person." Cindy said.

* * *

 _"_ _Cindy explained how a guy named Dave went off and vanished and we had to hunt him down. I couldn't help but wonder how Nova was though and if she gave Cindy my number, it's the only explanation. This isn't how we usually do things, but hey, wasted time is wasted time."_

* * *

 _"_ _Dave ended up needing our help and so we were off to defeat a dualhorn for him. We ended up having to make camp for the night, which I know Nova will give us hell for leaving her for, and found it in the morning."_

* * *

"Over there! That's it, right?" Prompto asked as he spotted the target.

"That's a dualhorn?" Gladiolus asked as the five men squatted down near a rock face to observe the target.

"Yes, but not your run-of-the-mill breed. We'd best make quick work of it." Ignis advised.

"Understood." Solis nodded as he reached back and pulled a sword out of his backpack.

"You've _gotta_ make me one of those!" Prompto said suddenly.

"Later, right now we have to focus." Solis said, all business. Prompto nodded and the party slowly approached.

"Wait a sec." Gladiolus stopped them suddenly.

"What-scared, big guy?" Prompto teased.

"You oughta be too. Thing's vicious." Gladiolus stated as he took out his own sword.

"You sure? Looks tame to me." Prompto said doubtingly.

"Yeah." Noctis agreed.

"It's definitely not someone I'd regularly mess with." Solis stated as he stood in between Noctis and Gladiolus, Prompto and Ignis on either side of the prince.

"Look out!" Ignis suddenly cried as the beast approached. Gladiolus quickly struck out, knocking the dualhorn on its side.

"Yeah! Show him who's boss!" Prompto cheered.

"Nice one!" Noctis agreed.

"It's not over yet!" Ignis cried as the dualhorn got up.

"Be on your guard!" Solis cried before he ran forward and stabbed the dualhorn as deeply as he could.

"What are you doing?!" Prompto cried as the escort had no weapon. Quickly, the blonde began to shoot at the dualhorn when it suddenly cried out.

Looking closer, Noctis saw three of Solis' swords stabbed into it. _How'd he make those so fast?_

"Duck!" Ignis ordered as he threw dagger after dagger at the monster.

Quickly, Noctis used his warp strike to give the others time to prepare.

"Now, Gladio!" Noctis shouted as he warped away and the shield sliced at the dualhorn's stomach yet again.

"Prompto, now!" Gladiolus ordered.

"On it!" Prompto grinned, shooting several bullets at the beast, one after the other.

"Prompto, look out!" Solis cried. The gunman turned and ducked just as the escort shot an arrow straight into the beast's eye.

"Just a little more!" Ignis cried. The strategist threw three more daggers in succession after he spoke.

Noctis attacked with everything he had before he warped away and Gladiolus finished the beast off.

"Nice job, Gladio." Noctis smiled.

"Yeah, you killed it, literally!" Prompto grinned.

"Ha ha." Gladiolus mocked the gunman.

"We all did well, including Solis." Ignis spoke up.

"Nah, you guys did the most work." Solis denied. Just then, Noctis' phone rang.

"Hello?" Noctis answered only to hear Cindy's voice.

* * *

 _"_ _Cindy thanked us for finding Dave then informed us the Regalia was ready. We practically ran back to town after that."_

 _"_ _That's it? Aren't there more fights?" Ben asked._

 _"_ _This is just the beginning, my boy." Grandpa smiled._

 _"_ _Stop interrupting!" Mia cried._

* * *

"It's rude to keep a girl waiting. You'd better apologi-what is _THAT_?!" Prompto went from teasing to scared in a flash. Noctis turned to see what was so scary and his eyes widened as he saw the giant bird.

"A live hurricane!" Noctis cried as the bird flew right over them.

"That thing's like half-bird, half-storm, half-airship!" Prompto cried.

"You realize that's three halves…" Gladiolus said.

"You mean thirds, right?" Solis asked.

"Yeah, whatever, you get the point!" Prompto cried.

"Would explain its size." Ignis commented.

"Awesome in every sense." Noctis answered.

"Nova'd beat you for that, you know." Prompto stated.

"Good thing she's not here then." Noctis shot back with a smirk.

"She beats him?" Solis asked.

"Only when he does something idiotic, as she says." Gladiolus answered.

"It's how she says she loves him." Prompto added, causing Gladiolus to laugh.

Solis looked from Prompto to Noctis, who was leading the way.

Noctis didn't stop, though he heard every word.

 _How she says she loves me, huh?_

* * *

Once the party reached Hammerhead, Nova ran over to them.

"Finally! Why'd you idiots take so long?" She demanded, hands on her hips.

"Got a few more missions that took longer." Gladiolus answered.

"You could've _called_ to tell me, you know!" Nova cried.

"Sorry…slipped my mind." Noctis answered, rubbing the back of his neck as he looked away.

"'Slipped my mind' my ass! You did that on purpose!" Nova accused.

"Hey, you wouldn't talk that way around the children, would you?" Noctis teased.

"This is different and you know it, dammit!" Nova yelled.

"Wait til we get home and you start yelling at Gladio and Prompto like a hypocrite." Noctis smirked.

Nova's face fell.

"What makes you think you're coming home?" She whispered before she turned and quickly walked away. Noctis sighed as he remembered their situation. Prompto patted his back to try and console him to no success.

 _She's right._

* * *

"Sorry 'bout the wait. Ain't she purdy?" Cindy grinned with pride in her voice as she showed off the Regalia.

"She's almost too good for the road." Gladiolus complimented.

"She's back! We should all get a picture with her!" Prompto grinned as he passed his camera to Cindy. While everyone else posed, Prompto pushed Nova towards Noctis and pulled Solis into the group.

* * *

 _Ben flipped to the picture Noctis had written about and laughed. Solis looked more comfortable but still put out as he stood between a posing Prompto and a normal Ignis. Gladiolus was leaning against the Regalia and below him, Noctis was sitting with Nova on his right side, both looking the slightest bit uncomfortable._

 _Below the picture were the words:_

I never felt as happy as I did when we got the Regalia back. Solis almost got out of the picture, but I wouldn't let him. And Noctis tried to avoid Nova but that was not an option. Being back on the road means back to being friends!

 _"_ _This guy's so cheesy!" Ben laughed._

 _"_ _I think he's funny!" Lucy protested. "Can we hear more?"_

 _"_ _Cindy asked us to do a favor for her and now we're off to Galdin and after there, Altissia, where Luna's waiting and…where my wedding will happen, where I'll say goodbye to the life I knew."_

* * *

With that, the six got in the Regalia and were off, Ignis at the wheel again. They reached the next stop, dropped off Cindy's stuff and were about to head off when they heard barking.

Turning, the party watched as a dog approached them.

"Hmm? Umbra." Noctis said as he recognized the dog.

"What're you doing here, boy?" Solis questioned as he and Noctis bent down to pet the dog. "You're supposed to be with Freya."

"Freya?" Nova repeated.

"Uh, Lady Lunafreya allows me to call her Freya." Solis admitted, looking away.

"I think that's cute. You must be close." Nova smiled sadly.

"Yeah…we are." Solis nodded.

"Bringin' us stuff, atta boy!" Prompto praised.

"He's not a delivery dog." Solis said.

"That dog can really track a scent though." Gladiolus commented.

"Certainly 'nose' how to find us." Ignis agreed.

"Ha ha." Solis rolled his eyes as he stood up only for Nova to silently bend down and place a hand on Noctis' arm silently.

"How do you always know, boy?" Prompto asked, curious.

"Just a sec." Noctis said as he took a notebook off Umbra and began to write in it. The prince then tied the notebook back around the dog. "All set. Take care out there."

"I know. You're not gonna tell me." Prompto started as Noctis and Nova stood up, Nova remaining silent.

"Then don't ask." Noctis cut in.

Prompto ignored him.

"What was that about?" Noctis was silent. "You don't say."

"Can we just get to Galdin, please?" Nova finally spoke up as she walked over to the car, refusing to meet anyone's eyes, even Noctis', despite his efforts.

* * *

As they drove, a news report came on.

"For our next story, Lady Lunafreya of Tenebrae has issued an official statement regarding the forthcoming treaty." A news reporter said.

"Words cannot express the joy in my heart on receiving word of this coming peace." Lunafreya's voice said.

Solis instantly looked down upon hearing her voice.

"Nor the pride I take in my betrothal playing a part in this historic moment." Lunafreya continued. "On this joyous occasion, some have voiced cause for concern: the fear I will be unable to fulfill my duties as Oracle. Please rest assured, my marriage will not stand in the way of my calling. You will find me in your towns and villages, as you always have. And I shall continue to bless you all."

"Lady Lunafreya will set forth from Tenebrae for her wedding ceremony in the coming days." The reporter said. "Please be advised that, during this time alone, her duties as Oracle will be suspended."

"It's _in_ the treaty?" Prompto asked.

"Of course, simple formality." Ignis nodded.

"One of those 'symbol of the peace' deals." Gladiolus added.

Nova's grip on her intertwined hands was making her knuckles turn white.

"So it's more like a…marriage of convenience?" Prompto asked.

"Her Ladyship seems nevertheless amenable to the prospect." Ignis said.

"And Noct here likes the idea." Gladiolus grinned as he looked at the prince. Said prince was refusing to meet anyone's gaze and forcing himself not to turn around into the row behind him.

"Buzz off." Noctis scowled at the shield, causing him to laugh as well as the gunman, though the strategist looked at the prince in the rearview mirror in concern as did the escort for the woman.

* * *

 _"_ _King Noctis didn't love Lady Lunafreya?" Mia asked, sad._

 _"_ _No, he was in love with someone else." Grandpa said._

 _"_ _But he did love Lady Lunafreya as a dear friend." Grandma added._

 _"_ _Look who's interrupting now!" Matthew stuck his tongue out at his sister._

* * *

The party reached Galdin Quay not long after that. Nova seemed to brighten up as she saw the sea.

"You miss it, huh?" Noctis asked her.

"Of course, it's a part of me. But so is my duty." Nova smiled as she patted Noctis' arm and began to walk towards the dock. "Come on, ferries are this way."

"I think we could've figured that out." Gladiolus commented.

"Shut up, Gladio." Noctis said offhandedly.

"Does Nova know the sea well?" Solis asked the prince.

"Her ancestors were voyagers before one of my ancestors saved her ancestor's life. That ancestor then vowed their family would always serve the King of Lucis and left the voyaging life. The sea's never left their blood though." Noctis explained.

"How…do you know that?" Solis asked.

"Uh, Nova and I go way back. I've known her since she was born." Noctis answered, looking away. Solis nodded, taking that answer.

* * *

The party reached the end of the dock when a voice cut into their conversation.

"I'm afraid you're out of luck." A suspicious stranger said.

"Are we?" Noctis asked, wary. Almost unconsciously, he stepped in front of Nova.

"The boats bring you here." The stranger said.

"What about 'em?" Prompto asked.

"Well, they'll not take you forth." The stranger answered.

"And what's your story?" Gladiolus questioned.

"I'm an impatient traveler, ready to turn ship." The stranger explained as he began to walk away.

"Not much of a story." Solis stated as he crossed his arms.

"The ceasefire's getting us nowhere." The stranger said, ignoring the escort. He turned then and flipped some kind of coin at Noctis, which Gladiolus caught.

"What's this? Some sort of souvenir?" The shield questioned.

"They make those?" Prompto asked eagerly.

"What? No." Noctis denied.

"Not the time for this." Nova ground out between clenched teeth.

"Consider it your allowance." The stranger smiled.

"Yeah, and who's _allowing_ us?" Gladiolus questioned as Solis slowly reached back, just in case. The stranger shrugged.

"A man of no consequence." He answered.

"Yeah right." Noctis muttered under his breath as the party relaxed and the prince turned to the woman only to have her punch him in the shoulder. "What was that for?!"

"For trying to protect me." Nova answered.

The next thing they knew; she was hugging Noctis.

"What's this for?" Noctis asked softly as his arms wrapped around Nova, pulling her closer to him.

"For trying to protect me." She answered back just as softly before she pulled away entirely and the men all shared a confused look before they continued on to see if the ferries really were out.

And sure enough, they were.

"Aw, not a boat in sight. What gives?" Prompto asked.

"According to my sources, the empire, giving strict orders not to let any vessels leave the docks of Altissia." A man cut in, "A real shame if you were late to your own wedding-right, Prince Noctis? Name's Dino, by the way. Pleasure."

"What do you want with His Highness?" Nova demanded as she stepped forward, pushing Noctis behind her in the process, and glared down at the reporter.

"The crown prince of Lucis, bounty hunting in his fancy car…surely you didn't think it'd go unnoticed-at least not by this reporter?" Dino grinned.

"What do you want with His Highness?" Nova repeated, her clenched fists starting to shake.

"Lucky for you, this reporter has integrity. If you wanna remain incognito, I'll respect your wish, in exchange for a favor." Dino smirked.

"What _is it_ you want with His Highness?" Nova asked for the last time.

"What do you want?" Noctis asked, coming up from behind Nova.

* * *

 _"_ _Dino marked on our map where he wanted us to go, saying if we did it we'd get a ship. If not, the papers would run out of town. Like we have a choice, besides calming Nova down that is."_

* * *

"What was that all about?" Prompto asked the still fuming Nova.

"It's my job to keep Noct safe and his cover's already been blown." She answered.

"We weren't taking that much caution to begin with." Ignis admitted.

"Outside of with Nova, yeah." Gladiolus nodded in agreement.

"Let's just get this guy's jewels and be done." Noctis said.

"Why are you taking more caution with Nova?" Solis asked as they piled into the car.

"Because she's less recognizable and less powerful at the moment." Ignis answered.

"Oh gee, thanks." Nova snapped sarcastically.

"What do you mean?" Solis asked.

"You'll find out when we get in a fight." Nova waved him off.

* * *

They got to the mineral deposit just fine…until they reached the area where the minerals actually were and found the giant bird from earlier.

"Oh em gee." Prompto whispered in fear. "We're supposed to get near that thing?"

"Pipe down before you wake it up." Gladiolus warned the gunman.

"Relax, I'm prepared." Nova assured, holding her hand out towards the bird, to do what, Solis had no idea.

* * *

Quickly, the party snuck past the bird and grabbed the stone. However, as they were sneaking back, the bird woke up and flew away with a great gust of wind.

"Off it goes." Ignis stated.

"And no need for me." Nova smiled slightly.

"Oh, we made it out alive." Noctis sighed in relief.

"Barely! I seriously thought we were at journey's end." Prompto contradicted.

"But that feat was fit for a king." Gladiolus smiled.

"Indeed." Ignis agreed.

"Not king yet." Noctis called back.

The party returned to the car laughing like old friends, even Solis.

* * *

They reached Galdin Quay by sunset and ran to give Dino the stone he asked. As they reached him, Nova stood in front of the prince to protect him.

"Nice work, kid! Sorry for giving you such a hard time. I just had to get my hands on this, even if it meant blackmail. You understand, don't ya?" Dino said.

"Wow, what a good moral code." Nova rolled her eyes.

"Y'see, I'm a reporter by day and an amateur jeweler by night. This elusive little beauty's gonna become a masterpiece." Dino explained with a grin as he examined the stone. "To make it up to you, I'll share a little scoop. That special coin you got-it commemorates the Oracle's ascension. That guy was tossing 'em out to everyone. Musta picked 'em up back in Niflheim. And speaking of freebies, here's one from me. Come back if you wanna buy more!"

Dino took out a garnet bracelet and passed it to Nova.

"Pretty bracelet for a pretty lady." He grinned.

"I doubt a souvenir like that could make its way into the hands of an ordinary citizen." Ignis commented.

"Well, it's our pocket change now!" Prompto grinned.

"Let's learn from history and book a place this time." Gladiolus commented.

"Good idea." Solis agreed as began to play with the pendent he wore.

* * *

 _"_ _Dino promised us a ferry by morning so we made our way to a hotel to stay the night."_

* * *

Nova was standing on the dock, staring at the sunset, when she felt his presence beside her.

"What is it, Noct?" She asked.

"Nothing, I just wanted to watch the sunset with you." Noctis answered. Nova turned to him with a skeptical eyebrow raised before she turned back to the sunset.

"Okay…isn't it beautiful?" She sighed happily.

"Yeah…" Noctis answered, his eyes on Nova and not the sunset though.

"Dad used to take Mom and I on vacations to the sea every year so he could sail and I could learn. I remember I loved watching sunsets but sunrises are always my favorite."

"I can see why…"

"…..Please don't stare at me, Noct."

"Why?"

"You know why…what you have to do…"

"I'm not married yet." Noctis tried to reach for her hand but she ripped it away before he could.

"You aren't married at all, all the more reason to leave me alone in that way!" She turned away from him, hiding her face.

"Have you forgotten everything we've been through?"

"Of course I haven't!"

"Then why do you insist on it?! I'm doing my duty; I was always going to!"

"Because it'll only hurt worse if I don't do this!"

"What about Chiara and Dante then? What are you going to tell them?"

"….They'll understand when they're older…"

"Nova…"

"Noct, please…just…remember me, okay? Please…I'm sorry!"

With that, Nova ran down the long dock and went into the water near the other dock and began to dance with the water, singing the song of her people.

* * *

Noctis sighed and turned back to the sunset.

* * *

Ignis and Prompto shared a look from the hotel room, watching the two from a window and hiding them from Gladiolus at the same time.

* * *

Sitting on the beach, Solis looked down at the picture in his open pendent. The sun shaped pendent had a picture of a little girl with pale blonde hair and green eyes with her own star shaped pendent around her neck.

* * *

And all throughout Galdin Quay, the song of Nova's people was heard.

 _"_ _Tatou o tagata folau vala'auina  
Le atua o le sami tele e o mai  
Ua la ava'e le lu'itau e lelei  
Tapenapena_

 _Aue, aue_  
 _Nuku i mua_  
 _Te manulele e tataki e_  
 _Aue, aue_  
 _Te fenua te malie_  
 _Nae ko hakilia kaiga e_

 _We read the wind and the sky when the sun is high_  
 _We sail the length of the seas on the ocean breeze_  
 _At night, we name every star_  
 _We know where we are_  
 _We know who we are, who we are_

 _Aue, aue_  
 _We set a course to find_  
 _A brand new Island everywhere we roam_  
 _Aue, aue_  
 _We keep our Island in our mind_  
 _And when it's time to find home_  
 _We know the way_

 _Aue, aue,_  
 _We are explorers reading every sign_  
 _We tell the stories of our elders in a never-ending chain_  
 _Aue, aue,_  
 _Te fenua, te malie_

 _Nae ko hakilia  
We know the way"_

* * *

 _"_ _But don't they get to be happy?" Lucy asked._

 _"_ _Of course they will be, this_ is _a fairy tale!" Mia grinned._

 _"_ _No it's not, it's a legend!" Ben argued._

 _"_ _Yeah, that means it's not a mushy love story!" Matthew agreed._

 _"_ _It's not mushy!" The girls cried._

 _"_ _Love stories are always mushy!" The boys argued._

 _"_ _What about the rest?" Grandma smiled._

 _"_ _Don't you want to hear it?" Grandpa added._

 _The children fell silent._

* * *

 _"_ _The day that followed was the worst day of my life."_

* * *

"Heya, morning." Prompto greeted Noctis as he woke up.

Noctis got up and looked around the room.

Prompto, Gladiolus and Solis were staring at him, waiting, while Nova was actively avoiding his gaze entirely.

"Where's Specs?" Noctis asked.

"Should be back any minute now." Gladiolus assured.

Sure enough, Ignis walked in with a newspaper in hand, his eyes on Noctis and Nova the entire time.

"What's that look for?" Noctis asked. Ignis passed the newspaper to Gladiolus.

"It's in all the papers." He said sadly.

"What is?" Noctis asked.

Gladiolus was silent as he read but Prompto read over his shoulder.

"'Insomnia…falls'?" He read, shocked. Noctis and Nova's heads shot up, even Solis looked utterly shocked.

"This your idea of a joke?" Noctis demanded.

"What's going on?" Nova whispered as she stood up.

"How can Insomnia fall?" Solis added as he adjusted his backpack.

"I need you to calm down so I can explain." Ignis stated.

"I'm as calm as I'm gonna get!" Noctis said.

"Noct!" Nova cried as she grabbed his arm to hold him back, just in case.

"There was an attack. The imperial army has taken the Crown City." Ignis explained.

"'As treaty room tempers flared, blasts lit the night sky. When the smoke about the Citadel had cleared, the king and the Enchanter were found…dead.'" Gladiolus read.

"No!" Nova gasped as she released Noctis and walked towards the window.

"No, wait, hold on…" Noctis said.

"We had no way of knowing." Ignis said, his voice thick with regret and defeat.

"What? Knowing what?" Noctis demanded.

"That the signing was last night, that Insomnia-" Ignis started.

"But the wedding! Altissia!" Noctis protested.

"I know that was the plan. Yet the reports of the invasion are all the same. How could every headline in the kingdom be wrong?" Ignis said rhetorically.

"…Lies." Noctis gasped. Suddenly, he felt like he couldn't stand and was leaning on the chair for support.

"…If only." Prompto whispered. Noctis moved to sit in a chair, his gaze shooting towards Nova. He remembered when her mother died…would she react the same way now?

"What…do we do now?" Solis asked as he looked at Ignis and Gladiolus. Despite being the oldest at 24, Solis felt so out of his debt and younger in that moment.

"What else do we know?" Gladiolus asked as he finished reading. Ignis shook his head. "Then we can't be sure until we see it with our own eyes."

"And that means we go back to Insomnia." Prompto stated.

"Might not be safe for us there." Ignis protested.

"Might not be safe for us here." Prompto argued.

"Turn back?" Gladiolus asked.

"It's your choice, Noct." Noctis looked up to see Nova standing behind him, her hands on his shoulder and her face completely dry.

He remembered when her mother died, she had been a mess. Now, she was completely calm, for him.

"We'll follow you." Solis added as he sat in the chair in front of Noctis.

Despite having only known him for a couple days, Noctis knew he could trust the escort and now here was the proof.

Noctis looked at the rest of his friends.

Ignis, who had helped take care of him for years.

Gladiolus, who trained him for this life.

Prompto, who had seen him as Noctis, not the prince.

"Yeah."

* * *

As they drove through the rain, they were mostly silent.

"I hope everyone's okay…" Prompto broke it.

"Lotta good hoping's gonna do." Noctis snapped, voice bitter.

"You mustn't lose faith." Ignis reminded.

"Really? Can faith stop a fleet of imperial dreadnoughts?" Noctis asked sarcastically.

"Give it a rest." Gladiolus said, voice tired.

"My old man had plenty of faith!" Noctis snapped.

"Enough." Ignis cut in.

"It'll be okay, High-Noctis." Solis tried to comfort the prince.

"And how would you know?" Noctis snapped.

"Stop, Noct." Nova cut in. "My dad's gone, just like yours is. But getting angry at your friends isn't gonna help our situation, okay?"

"The empire lied. They betrayed us." Prompto said, changing the subject.

"Conjecture gets us nowhere. We're searching for truth." Ignis stated.

"And we'll find it at Insomnia…" Solis said.

"Correct." Ignis nodded.

"All you'll find are lies-like that ceasefire." Noctis stated.

"Look at the size of those things." Gladiolus commented after a minute as he looked out the window.

"Imperial dreadnoughts, they transport soldiers-namely, the magitek infantry." Ignis stated.

"The robots?" Gladiolus asked for confirmation.

"Mass-produced humanoid weapons of warfare, to be more precise." Ignis explained.

"I've seen them in Tenebrae. It's awful when they come through." Solis said.

"Doesn't look like they'll be signing that peace treaty." Prompto shivered.

"They hurt so many people…it's awful and sick!" Solis stated, anger at the empire showing.

"Up ahead!" Prompto cried and the car stopped suddenly.

"What is this?" Nova whispered.

"They've set up an inspection point." Ignis answered.

"If the road ahead's blocked, then we'll find a way around." Gladiolus stated. Ignis nodded and turned down a side street until they stopped.

"Let's make a detour. There ought to be a decent vantage point up ahead." Ignis said as they all got out of the Regalia.

As soon as she was out of the car, Nova removed the leather jacket she wore. Underneath, her bright sky blue shirt had one long sleeve on the right side that was tucked into her motorcycle glovelett. The left side had no sleeve, however. And underneath the right sleeve, you could just make out an Enchantress tattoo that was identical to her father's.

The party ran up to the makeshift fortress and found a bunch of Imperials. As soon as she saw them, Nova held her right hand out.

"Fire." She whispered. Suddenly, the tattoo on her right arm glowed and fire left her fingertips, only to catch on the Imperial.

"Whoa…" Solis whispered.

"I'm the Enchantress, magic is in my blood." Nova whispered as Noctis used his warp strike to take another Imperial out.

The battle was on.

* * *

Finally, the party defeated the Imperials and reached the hill overlooking Insomnia.

"As to ceasefire discussions between the two nations, all provisional terms have been suspended in light of recent developments." A newscaster's voice said from Prompto's phone. "Moreover, in the wake of the news of King Regis and Enchanter Alexandros' deaths, we've now received word that Crown Prince Noctis, Enchantress Novalee and the Oracle Lunafreya have also been pronounced dead."

"Keep it on!" Gladiolus ordered.

Nova suddenly began to shake.

Prompto dropped his phone.

"Don't bother!" Noctis shouted, grief seizing his voice.

"Noct…" Nova whispered. The prince was instantly looking at the Enchantress. "Chiara and Dante…our…our children…what's happened…to them…? Oh gods…what if they're…they're…dead?" Suddenly, Nova began to sob as she fell to the ground on her knees, the rest of the party staring at her in shock.

"Don't worry…I'll find out what's happened to them." Noctis promised as he took his phone out. Solis and Gladiolus followed, each dialing different numbers. Prompto knelt beside the sobbing Nova as the rain continued to fall and all Ignis could do was stare at Insomnia as the dreadnoughts flew above them. "H-hello? Cor?" Noctis said.

"So, you made it." Cor sounded relieved.

Noctis' thoughts were running wildly.

"The hell's going on?" He asked.

"Where are you?" Cor asked.

"Outside the city, with no way back in." Noctis answered.

"Makes sense." Cor stated.

"'Makes sense'? Are you serious? What about any of this makes sense!?" Noctis demanded. "The news just told me I'm dead-along with my father, my former father-in-law, my ex-wife and Luna! And I don't even know what happened to my children!"

"Listen. I'm heading out to Hammerhead." Cor said. "About the king and the Enchanter…it's true."

Noctis' eyes widened and he turned to look back at the city, _his_ city.

"If you're looking for the whole truth, you know where to find me." Cor said. "Get moving."

"Right." Noctis agreed, his voice catching in his throat. He lowered his phone and stared at the city.

"What did the marshal…have to say?" Ignis asked cautiously.

"Said he'd be in Hammerhead." Noctis answered.

"And the king?" Gladiolus asked.

"And my dad?" Nova asked softly as Prompto helped her stand up.

Noctis was silent.

"What about our children…what about Chiara and Dante?!" Nova screamed.

"I don't know…" Noctis looked down.

Nova bit her lip before she let out an ear splitting scream. Tears fell down her cheeks before she straightened up and wiped them away.

"Okay…we'll find that truth together than." She whispered.

Solis stared at the group as he hung up his phone, his own relief bringing guilt to him.

"I'll come with you." He said, "I made a vow…I'm going to keep it."

"Very well." Noctis nodded as the six stared at the ruins of Insomnia before they slowly made their way to the car.

* * *

 _"_ _That was a day I will never forget…it was the day my life was set on my path."_

* * *

 _"_ _Did the children make it out?" Mia and Ben asked in unison. Lucy and Matthew matched their desperate expressions._

 _"_ _You'll find out." Grandpa winked cheekily._

 _"_ _Oh stop it, big brother!" Grandma hit her brother before she picked the journal back up again._

 _The children noticed they were avoiding the question but were sucked back into the story without complaint._

* * *

 **And here we are, chapter two! Man, this was a long one. I started writing this at 7:00 AM! It's over 7,000 words and 29 pages on Microsoft! Anyways, thanks to Stoto (I hope I didn't disappoint you with the romance parts of this, it's just the underlying angst between the couples is something I want to explore a lot.), deathwing17 (Is this long enough? Lol), Guest (Your wish is granted!), Mikaelsonlover808 (Oh, actually I loved them in the game. I'm just doing this because the angst was too good of an idea to pass up.), Levalune (Thanks!), EmeraldWings1992 (I'm glad, and in case you didn't catch it, I did add another row.), sorax33 (I'm glad you're enjoying it! Hopefully you like both OCs!), LightCamellia (Thanks!), Vampuric Spider (Thanks!), all 24 followers, all 17 favorites and all 260 readers!**

 **Oh yeah, there's a prequel to this story, a one shot titled Red so go check it out!**

 **I hope you all enjoyed! Leave a review please! Later!**


	3. Chapter 3:Choking Grief

**Hey guys, sorry for the wait, but I'm back now! Your guys' response this story makes me really happy so far, I'm glad you're enjoying it! Thanks to RhythmicJustice (You'll have to wait and see~** **?** **), Lily Rozewood (Thanks!), Mystirica18 (Nope. Gladio's also a symbol of everyone who knows nothing of Nova and Noctis.), Guest (Different story, different time. And I WILL get to it.), Mikaelsonlover808 (I think they loved each other in the game, but to each their own. And you'll see what I do with Nova and Noct** **?** **) Stoto (Yeah, each chapter here is gonna be a chapter of the game, meaning some will be EXTRMELY long while others won't be. And I always keep dialogue for these kinds of stories, even if I end up hating how long they are. And you are correct! Good eyes, I thought I was subtle. Well, I'm glad your hopes came true! And don't worry, Nova hasn't been a major character yet but she will be soon!), Vampuric Spider (Not unless they're connected to the main game, no. But thanks!), sorax33 (Thanks!), Guest1995 (That's right! Nova is 20 and Solis is 24, for the record. It wasn't inconceivable, so it works!), XxWolfLord95xX (Thanks!) and EmeraldWings1992 (Alright…here's an imaginary Solis' backpack *hands one over* Just don't hurt your wrist more!) for reviewing, all 35 followers, 28 favorites and 839 readers! Also, for the record, Chiara's name is pronounced key-are-a and her nickname is pronounced key while Dante's nickname is pronounced similar to Han. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this next chapter!**

* * *

Lady Lunafreya Nox Fleuret walked down the road with her head held high. She had escaped the fall of Insomnia, though not alone.

Behind her were the young, and unknown, prince and princess of Lucis, Chiara and Dante Lucis Caelum. Lunafreya had made sure she didn't leave these children behind once she heard they were in the city. Nyx had agreed and made sure the four year olds were left in the Oracle's care.

"Ms. Luna? Where are we going?" Chiara called.

"Wherever we can. I'm sorry, this must be difficult for you." Luna apologized with a small smile.

"We'll be fine! I can keep Chi safe!" Dante swore as he took his sister's hand in his.

"I can take care of myself, Dan!" Chiara protested, though she didn't release her brother's hand.

Luna giggled at their antics when she looked ahead and grinned before she began to run forward in order to meet her dogs, Pryna and Umbra.

"Hey, how'd they find us?" Dante asked as he knelt down to pet Umbra.

"Dogs are smart, duh!" Chiara answered with a grin as she knelt down to pet Pryna.

Luna smiled at the children's antics as she undid the notebook attached to Umbra's back.

"What's that?" The twins asked in unison.

"A message from your father." Luna answered, her voice relieved as she rested her forehead on the notebook.

"Really?!" The twins gasped, surprisingly still in unison. "What did he say?!"

Luna opened the notebook and read the page aloud.

 _"_ _Finally going to see you after all these years."_

"Are you and Daddy friends, Ms. Luna?" Chiara asked.

"Yes, though not as good as your parents." Luna admitted.

"You have your own friend like Daddy has Mommy, right Ms. Luna?" Dante smirked.

"W-what?" Luna stuttered, not expected a FOUR YEAR OLD to ask a question such as that.

Suddenly, Luna heard footsteps and looked up to see Gentiana approach.

"Who's she?" Dante asked only to be hit on the arm by his sister.

"That's rude!" She scolded.

Silently, Luna reached into a pocket and took out the Ring of the Lucii. Gentiana nodded in acknowledgement as Luna held the ring close to her heart.

 _Solis…Noctis…the twins' mother…please be safe._

"Ms. Luna?" The twins called.

"Come with us. We'll keep you safe and return you to your parents." Luna promised.

Understanding the resolute tone of her voice, the twins nodded.

"Gentiana, we will be taking these children with us until we meet King Noctis and then they will be kept safe in how he sees fit." Luna stated. Gentiana nodded in acknowledgement once again.

 _I'll do what I can…I'll see you all soon._

* * *

 _"_ _We're making our way back to Hammerhead to meet with Cor. I don't even know what to think, I still can't believe it. And even worse, I don't know where my children are. I'd rather have married Luna and for them to forget me then this…uncertainty. It's the worst feeling I've ever felt."_

* * *

 _"_ _Is he serious?" Matthew asked, unbelieving._

 _"_ _Why is that so hard to believe?" Grandma asked._

 _"_ _Cause guys aren't that mushy!" Ben answered._

 _"_ _He is a father, Ben. You and Matthew will understand one day." Grandpa chuckled._

 _"_ _What about Chiara and Dante?" Mia asked, "Are they okay?"_

 _"_ _Now why would we give that away?" Grandma asked, her eyes twinkling._

 _"_ _Grandma!" Lucy whined._

 _The grandparents chuckled and continued to read._

* * *

"Don't suppose the Crownsguard is still active." Gladiolus commented, breaking the awkward silence.

"Wouldn't count on it, not with the marshal out here." Ignis answered.

"I wonder how things are in the city…" Prompto said worriedly.

"There should be reports before long." Ignis said, his voice dark.

Nova shuddered the barest much but otherwise did not break her calm façade.

Her mind, however, was not calm.

 _My children…what if they're dead? What if I never get to see them again? What if I never get to see them grow up? What if I just lost everything and had no chance to do anything? What if-STOP! This won't help me at all. But…oh God! What if…_

Her thoughts were running circles around her and she pulled Noctis' leather jacket she had worn earlier tighter around her shoulders. As Noctis' scent overwhelmed her senses, her mind calmed for a second only to race once again.

It was a cruel and vicious cycle.

"We make for Hammerhead now, and figure the rest out later." Gladiolus stated as Nova forced herself to pay attention to what was being said.

"You alright?" Solis whispered beside Nova.

"I'm fine." Nova answered, her voice steady, despite the fact that inside all she wanted to do was sob. Noctis turned back slightly to meet her hazel eyes, as if he knew what she was thinking.

He hadn't done that in months.

"You don't have to lie." Solis said softly. "I understand how you feel."

"I don't think you've ever felt how I feel at the moment." Nova stated firmly, her eyes sharpening into a glare at the guide.

"Pretty close. I have a two year old daughter myself. Her name's Estella and I had to leave her to come here." Solis offered.

"At least you know she's _alive_." Nova said coldly, her façade cracking as she felt tears form in her eyes.

 _Chiara was dancing at a ball while Dante glared at her partner. They were thirteen._

 _Dante was training with Gladiolus, he fell repeatedly. But he never gave up. He was ten._

 _Chiara was performing the dance of the Enchantress, trying to gain the spell of Water. She was fourteen._

"Solis. Leave her alone." Noctis ordered the guide as he glanced at his ex-wife. More than ever did he wish he was beside her. He could see in her eyes that she was imagining things she would never get to see if their children were dead.

 _They're_ not dead. He forced himself to think.

 _Chiara and Dante were being acknowledged by the world as existing and being legitimate heirs to the throne. They were eight._

Nova reached up and wiped at her eyes, trying to block the images that _just. Kept. Coming._

 _Dante was being crowned King of Lucis and Chiara was taking the mantle of the Enchantress. They were twenty eight._

"Nova!" Noctis cried and the Enchantress looked up, her eyes meeting the now king's. " _Stop._ They're _alive_."

Nova didn't say anything, just looked away and ignored the rest of the conversation.

* * *

Once they reached Hammerhead, Cindy informed the group that Cor had left a message with Cid.

"Cid…he was friends with Daddy and Papa…" Nova whispered to herself, though everyone heard.

"Daddy? Papa?" Solis whispered to Noctis.

"'Daddy' is her father. 'Papa' is mine." Noctis answered, his entire body tense with grief and worry.

Solis nodded, not pressing the point.

* * *

 _"_ _She called her dad 'daddy'?" Ben wrinkled his nose._

 _"_ _There's nothing wrong with that!" Lucy yelled at her brother. "I call Daddy that!"_

 _"_ _You're a kid! That's different!" Ben argued._

 _"_ _Remember Ben, Nova just found out her father died and her children's fate is unknown. She's scared." Grandma said._

 _"_ _That's true…" Ben whispered, feeling a bit ashamed of himself._

 _"_ _Chin up, you made a mistake but now you understand." Grandma smiled as she lifted her grandson's chin up to meet her eyes._

 _Ben nodded in acceptance with a small smile._

* * *

The party reached the garage and found Cid waiting for them.

"Crystal and the king's ring what they been after all along…" The engineer said.

"So all talk of peace was merely a pretext." Ignis surmised.

"They played my father and father-in-law for fools." Noctis said angrily as he blindly grasped Nova's hand. Nobody corrected him that Alexandros was his _ex_ -father-in-law. Nova didn't return his grip but she didn't release his hand either. She needed him as support as much as he needed her right now.

"Don't kid yourself." Cid disagreed, "Reggie and Alex weren't born yesterday. Lucis got dealt a losin' hand, and your old men played it the best they could. They saw this comin' a mile away, and they weren't going down without a fight. And if Alex had any say, he went down first, defending Reggie to the end."

Noctis and Nova looked up and a few tears fell from Nova's eyes unbidden. Yet she didn't wipe them away, allowing herself to mourn as Cid spoke, squeezing Noctis' hand.

 _It's just for support, he's going through what I am, it's only because he understands._

 _…_ _Daddy will never see Chiara or Dante grow up. Papa won't see them rule his kingdom. Papa won't be able to guide Noctis. Daddy won't be able to guide me. We're alone, we're_ all alone…

"In the end, though…well, it just wasn't enough." Cid sighed. In that moment, as they all stood in silence, Cid looked even more ancient then he was. He looked as if he carried the weight of the world and he didn't want to. But he had to keep going as he pushed himself up a bit. "You need something else, you talk to Cor." Cid stood up and spoke to himself. "I can't even remember the last time I saw Reggie. Feels like a lifetime ago. I feel bad Alex had to play peacekeeper all these years, but he was the best we could've had." As he spoke, Cid left the garage.

Nova stepped forward and picked up the picture Cid had on his desk. In it, she saw a young Regis, Alexandros, Cid, Cor and a man named Weskham. Stifling a sob, Nova allowed a few tears to escape before she straightened up.

"We should ask Cid where we can find Cor." She advised, no evidence of her mourning or tears showing.

"Good idea." Gladiolus nodded as he walked over to Cid.

"You alright?" Prompto asked Nova softly.

"Not yet but…I will be." Nova promised with a small smile.

"Good." Prompto smiled as he wrapped an arm around Nova's shoulders. "This wouldn't be the same if you weren't the same Novalee."

"I _told you_ not to call me that!" Nova protested but mentally praised the gods for Prompto. For thanks to him, her mind was silent for a single minute.

When Nova wasn't looking, Prompto took out his camera and took a picture of his and her faces, though she was looking at him with twinkling eyes and a smile while he was looking at the camera with happy eyes and a smile as bright as the sun.

* * *

 _The children stared at the picture of Prompto and Nova, surprised Prompto took a picture like that._

I finally managed to get Nova to smile a real smile since everything went to hell. I'd say this picture proves that day had some goodness in it, even if it all seemed like hell on the surface.

 _"_ _Awww!" The girls cooed. "That's so sweet!"_

 _The boys gagged in unison._

* * *

 _"_ _We drove all the way to the Prairie Outpost Cid sent us to and found Monica waiting for us. She reassured us Iris was safe, which was a reliving piece of good news, before she sent us to the royal tomb, the Tomb of the Wise, where Cor was waiting for us. I overheard the radio saying the citizens of Tenebrae were mourning Luna at Altissia with sylleblossoms, though there were no remains to mourn. Could Luna be alive? I hope so, I don't want to lose so close a friend like this."_

* * *

"What's the story with Noct and Nova?" Solis asked Prompto softly as they walked towards the tomb.

"They're childhood friends who fell in love." Prompto answered, "They got married fiveish years ago and had the twins four years ago."

"The twins?" Solis asked.

"Dante and Chiara. Though their marriage was annulled a while ago…they still love each other though." Prompto explained.

"I see." Solis said as he reached up and felt his pendent.

"You got a girl back home?" Prompto teased.

"Maybe." Solis smiled slightly causing Prompto to laugh as they walked.

* * *

As they approached the tomb, they suddenly ran into some Daggerquills.

"Think you can hit that thing from behind to bring it down, Nova?" Gladiolus asked as they hid against the rock wall.

"I think so." Nova nodded as she pushed all her thoughts to the back of her mind.

 _Dante, Chiara, Daddy, Papa…I'm sorry but I need to focus. This is for you._

Nova held her right hand out and her tattoo glowed.

"Thunder!" She cried.

A bolt of lightning came out of her hand and struck the Daggerquill in the back, bringing it down so Prompto could finish it in one shot. They repeated the process with the next one and made their way to the tomb, though Nova could feel the slight strain on her muscles from using her magic, though she refused to let it show.

The Enchantress could not be perceived as weak.

 _Daddy dancing with Chiara on her sixteenth birthday._

 _Papa knighting Dante on his sixteenth birthday._

 _Chiara on her wedding day, smiling at the groom as she walked down on Noctis' arm._

 _Dante on his wedding day, dancing with Nova as his bride danced with her father and the relatives watched._

They ran into some more Daggerquills, sadly.

"Really, again?" Prompto groaned as he shot the bird beasts.

"Did you expect this to be easy?" Solis questioned as he threw a dagger at one Daggerquill before he grabbed a newly formed spear and shoved it straight through the next beast.

"No, but can't I expect a break?" Prompto asked.

"Not a chance." Noctis answered before he warped towards another Daggerquill and killed it in one precise blow.

"Less talking, more fighting!" Nova cried before she casted another spell. "Fire!"

"Gladio!" Ignis cried as he threw a dagger.

"On it!" Gladiolus answered as he struck the last one, killing it.

Nova began to breathe a bit heavier than before but she shook it off, using her right sleeved colored arm to wipe the sweat off her forehead.

 _Daddy telling her he wasn't ashamed of her on her wedding day._

 _Papa and Noctis comforting her after her mother died._

 _Dante and Chiara, her greatest treasures, on the day they were born._

"Let's keep moving." Ignis said and they finally made it to the tomb.

"Is this it?" Solis asked.

"That's it. The Tomb of the Wise." Nova nodded.

"A tomb fit for royalty." Prompto felt the need to add before they walked in.

* * *

 _"_ _Why are they meeting the Marshal in a stuffy old tomb?" Ben asked, confused._

 _"_ _You'll understand in a minute." Grandpa promised._

* * *

"Marshal." Ignis greeted as they entered and Cor turned to them.

"At last, Your Highness." Cor said.

"Yeah, wanna tell me what I'm here for?" Noctis asked, his voice still full of grief.

"The power of kings, passed from the old to the new through the bonding of souls." Cor said as he held a hand over Noctis' ancestor, the Wise King. "One such soul lies before you. To claim your forebears' power is your birthright and duty as king."

"My duty as king of what?" Noctis spat, anger increasing.

"Noct…" Nova whispered as she took Noctis' hand in her own, not thinking of what her actions meant, only acting on instinct.

 _It doesn't mean anything, he's still engaged._

 _Papa saying he was happy she was now his daughter._

 _Daddy and Papa doting on their grandchildren._

 _Noctis swearing the twins would be spoiled rotten before they learned to walk._

"Now is not the time to question your calling." Cor reprimanded.

Noctis scoffed as he continued to look down, his grip on Nova's hand strong.

"A king is sworn to protect his people." Cor continued.

"And yet he chose to protect only one prince." Noctis stated, angry. "Was that his calling? Forsake the masses to spare his own son and daughter-in-law?"

 _Papa smiling proudly at Noctis during their wedding._

"How long will you remain the protected? The king entrusted the role of protector to you." Cor argued.

"'Entrusted' it to me?" Noctis repeated, his anger rising. "Then why didn't he tell me that? Why did he stand there smiling as I left? Why-" Noctis' voice cracked as he grasped the coffin with his free hand. His grief was pouring in waves and he seemed unaware of the tears falling down his cheeks.

 _Daddy and Papa whispering about the two of them getting married one day._

 _Papa reassuring her that his son was an idiot when they avoided each other._

 _Daddy marking Noctis with their family crest on their wedding day as they became family._

 _Chiara on Daddy's lap and Dante on Papa's as they told stories of their parents, which had Nova giggling and Noctis stuttering._

"Why did he lie to me?" Noctis asked, his voice broken as he cried. Nova was unaware of her own tears falling.

 _Daddy and Papa…saying goodbye for the final time._

 _Daddy and Papa…smiling, their eyes full of pride yet pain at what they were forcing their children to do._

 _Daddy and Papa…always so understanding and refusing to let their children see their worries._

 _Daddy and Papa…_

"That day, he didn't want you or Novalee to remember him as the king or Alexandros as the Enchanter." Cor explained, "In what time you had left, they wanted to be your fathers, to both of you."

Noctis continued to cry in grief, Nova unaware she was doing the same.

"He always had faith in you, that when the time came, you would ascend for the sake of your people." Cor continued.

"Guess he left me no choice." Noctis stated as he stood up. The king held his hand over the sword.

The sword glowed white and silver before it floated into the air. It flew down and stabbed Noctis in the heart. As Noctis' heart glowed, the sword spun around Noctis while Nova gasped, feeling the bond between the king and the Enchantress forming. Suddenly, droplets of water floated around Nova before they went into her heart and caused it to glow as Noctis' did.

"The power of kings goes with you, Your Majesty." Cor stated. "Enchantress Novalee is now stronger in the magic of Water, the magic of the Wise. If the bond is performed-"

"I will _not_ perform the bond!" Noctis suddenly cried, his voice steel and unrelenting.

"…Very well." Cor nodded. "That's not the only power your forebears left you. Your journey's just begun. Another tomb lies close by. I suggest you head there next."

"Are they all close?" Solis asked as he adjusted his backpack. He felt a bit awkward at that moment. After all, he was just a guide.

"No. There are tombs scattered across the land. All are on dangerous ground." Cor explained. "I'll go with you, for the time being. Not only to help, but to get a measure of your strength."

"Well then I'm sure you'll be impressed!" Prompto grinned as they exited the tomb and began to walk.

"So just how many of these 'powers' are out there?" Noctis asked.

"There are thirteen known royal arms, each enshrined at a royal tomb, though we know the location of only a few." Cor answered.

"So how do we find the others?" Gladiolus asked.

"I've enlisted the help of the hunters. They comb the land in search of the lost tombs." Cor explained.

"Where's the one you mentioned that's nearby?" Nova asked as she played with her fingers.

 _Daddy using his magic to entertain her and Noctis as kids._

 _Daddy using his magic to entertain Dante and Chiara._

"Keycalrich Trench. We know there to be a crypt deep inside the tunnels." Cor answered.

"Then let's be off." Ignis advised as they made their way to the next tomb.

* * *

"What happened here?" Solis asked as they headed towards the trench.

"Long years ago, we waged a fierce battle here against the empire." Cor explained, "It all went to ruin, and after that, the empire moved in like it owned the place."

"They did the same to Tenebrae." Solis said, his expression dark with anger.

As they reached the trench, they found several Imperial soldiers waiting for them.

"You guys take the soldiers, I'll take out the machine gun operator." Nova instructed.

The party nodded and got to work on distracting the soldiers.

* * *

Quietly, Nova moved towards the machine gun and whispered a prayer,

"Oh, King of Wisdom, grant me your strength."

With a deep breath, the Enchantress held her hand out to the side.

"Water."

A whip made entirely out of water appeared in her hand and she threw it out so it wrapped around her target's wrist. Using the whip as leverage, she pulled the soldier towards her before she jumped up and kicked him in the jaw. For good measure, she changed the water from a whip to a spear and stabbed the soldier, killing him.

 _Daddy fighting to protect Papa and falling._

 _Papa fighting to protect his kingdom and falling._

 _Daddy and Papa making their final stand side by side as King and Enchanter, friends, brothers and family._

Nova shook her head as she dissolved the water and turned to the machine gun.

* * *

Solis pulled an arrow back onto the bow he had taken some time to make, with Noctis and Prompto shielding him, and shot it at another soldier.

"Think Nova's okay?" He asked as he formed another arrow.

"She'll be fine!" Gladiolus cried as he swung his sword and took out several soldiers.

"There is no one as stubborn as that girl." Noctis added as he warped in order to stab another soldier.

"She is a strong warrior." Ignis commented as he threw one dagger before he dug another into the same soldier.

"She'd kill you for thinking she'd need help!" Prompto grinned as he shot several rounds at the soldiers and jumped to avoid one trying to attack him.

"She is a gifted Enchantress." Cor finished as he swiftly went from attacking one soldier to another to avoiding two and causing them to attack and take each other out.

Just then, the machine gun went off and took out all the soldiers.

"See?" Noctis grinned as he looked at Nova firing the machine gun, looking very much to Solis like a man in love.

* * *

 _The boys gagged in unison at Grandma's wording._

 _"_ _Oh hush!" Lucy pouted._

 _"_ _Boys!" Mia groaned, frustrated._

 _"_ _Now, not all boys are like that." Grandpa argued with a twinkle in his eyes._

 _"_ _No, all boys are like that until they grow up." Grandma contradicted with a smirk at her brother._

 _"_ _Thanks." Grandpa said sarcastically before he picked up the reading._

* * *

Avoiding the giant machines waiting for them while Prompto fangirled over compliments Cor gave him, the party finally reached the entrance to the actual trench.

"Here's where we go our separate ways." Cor said as they began to enter the trench only to stop and turn to the marshal as he spoke. Cor took a key out and gave it to Ignis. "Take this key. It unlocks the doors to the other tombs. Seek them out, and lay claim to the power they hold. You'll need it."

"And what will you do?" Noctis asked.

"I thought you were coming with us." Solis added, confused even as he took out a recently formed flashlight and passed it to Ignis before he continued making more.

"No, I will keep an eye on the Niffs. Find out what they're up to." Cor corrected. "But you should focus on your own task."

"I will. You take care." Noctis nodded.

"We'll see you later." Nova smiled slightly as she waved before taking her own flashlight from Solis.

 _Daddy and Papa talking to Cor as young Nova and Noctis played in the garden._

 _The memories and what ifs will stop. Just give it time._ Nova reminded herself firmly as she steeled her nerves.

"Ready?" Gladiolus asked.

"Let's go." Noctis nodded as they began to cautiously make their way through the Trench.

"Keep it real, huh?" Gladiolus commented.

"Always!" Prompto grinned as they walked. "Huh? Look!"

"There's a door." Gladiolus said as they reached said door.

"What is this place, anyway?" Solis asked as he looked around.

"It appears to have been a shelter." Ignis answered.

"People lived here?" Prompto and Solis asked in unison, surprised.

"Those seeking refuge from war, most like." Ignis nodded.

"They must have been desperate to live in a place like this." Nova said sadly as she brushed her hand against the rock wall.

"Wars, what are they good for?" Prompto asked rhetorically. "Wonder if anyone's still living here."

"I'd rather not find out." Noctis stated.

"Good idea." Nova nodded in agreement.

The party made their way through the trench, Prompto jumping at every noise while Gladiolus messed with him, Ignis would silently roll his eyes and Noctis, Nova and Solis simply stayed out of their way while and tried to find the end of the tunnel.

That was until they ran into some daemons and the light from the generators they found went out.

Then they found the Arachne.

Gladiolus reacted first, swinging at the monster hard enough to knock it back a bit.

Noctis was right behind him, the Sword of the Wise in his grasp. The king attacked the Arachne and cut it deeply in the shoulder.

"Noct, duck!" Ignis ordered and Noctis did so without a second thought. A second later, a dagger flew over where Noctis' head had been and embedded itself deeply into the Arachne's already deep wound.

"Oh, King of Wisdom, grant me your strength." Nova whispered before she held her hand out towards the monster. "Water!" A large wave of water washed over the monster. "Blizzard!" Instantly, the water froze, as did the dagger in the wound.

"Alright, Nova!" Prompto cheered as he used the spells to his advantage and fired bullet after bullet into the Arachne's eye.

"Everybody down!" Solis yelled and the entire party complied just as the guide let the arrow he had nocked fly, straight into the Arachne's heart.

It was dead before the ice surrounding it had melted.

"Nice one, Sol." Noctis complimented, catching Solis off guard.

"Oh, that was nothing." Solis chuckled as he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly even as he returned his bow to his backpack.

Prompto watched in fascination as the bow disassembled neatly the second it entered the backpack.

"You have _got_ to build me one of those." The gunman insisted.

"Sorry, I don't have the materials here to do that." Solis shrugged as Prompto let out an 'awwww'.

Nova chuckled as they continued on.

 _Dante begging Noctis to teach him how to warp. He was ten years old._

 _Chiara begging Nova to teach her Holy. She was ten years old._

 _Daddy and Papa chuckling as the children begged, remembering when their own children had begged them for the same things._

"Nova." Noctis spoke up. The Enchantress turned to the king.

"Yes?" She asked, unaware of her left hand pulling at her right, and only, sleeve.

"It's gonna be okay. It's all gonna be okay." Noctis stated as he gently pulled her hand from her sleeve and squeezed it.

Blinking, Nova looked up at her ex-husband and gave him a small, sad smile.

"Thank you…but you're still betrothed, Noct. What's going on…with Dante and Chiara won't change anything." She whispered.

"I know, I'm not saying that. What I _am_ saying is that they're gonna be okay." Noctis corrected. "I know they are."

Nova stared into his blue eyes for a minute before she nodded in agreement.

"Okay."

* * *

 _"_ _I truly don't know if the twins were okay, I hope and pray with all my heart that they are. But I couldn't stand that look in Nova's eyes, I couldn't stand to see her torture herself with the thoughts she's having. Not when there's a chance, no matter how slim it seems right now, that they're okay."_

* * *

 _"_ _He lied to her!" Matthew yelled, angry at the king's written words._

 _"_ _It's so she stops worrying, duh!" Lucy rolled her eyes at her distant cousin._

 _"_ _Yeah! Would you want your wife to miss her children and think they're dead?" Mia questioned her brother._

 _"_ _I don't have a wife!" Matthew protested._

 _"_ _Are you really arguing about this?" Ben groaned, "So dumb. Keep reading, Grandma!"_

 _The grandparents simply chuckled in amusement._

* * *

Finally, they reached a door.

"Huh? The hell?" Gladiolus, the leader, questioned.

"This must be it." Solis noted as he examined the door. "Yeah, it says here that this is the tomb of the Conqueror. So, this king was known as the King of Conquering?"

"Yes. He was a remarkable warrior in his time." Ignis nodded.

"Cool! I wonder what weapon Noct will get here. And what power Nova will grow stronger in." Prompto said.

"Let's find out." Nova suggested as Ignis took out the key and passed it to Noctis.

"Here goes." Noctis whispered to himself as unlocked the door, which began to open and forced Solis, who was examining the markings on the door, to jump back, quietly letting out an 'aw' as he did so.

Noctis walked in and held his hand over the axe that rested inside. The axe glowed white and silver as it began to float in the air. The axe then stabbed Noctis in the heart, just as the sword did. Noctis' heart began to glow as the sword and axe spun around him. Nova gasped as small flames appeared around her before they too went into her heart, which glowed just as Noctis' did.

"So the magic of the Conqueror is Fire. Interesting…" Ignis noted to himself while Solis took out a notepad and scribbled down a note.

 _'_ _Wise-Sword/Water_

 _Conqueror-Axe/Fire'_

"What're you doing?" Gladiolus demanded of the guide.

"Oh, sorry. It's just, well, back in Tenebrae I was, um, a scholar." Solis explained as he nervously played with his notepad. "I, uh, just want to keep track of everything so, um, I remember which king gives which weapon and magic."

"That is a wise decision." Ignis nodded in agreement. "Smart thinking Solis."

"Oh, uh, thanks." Solis blushed at the praise.

"So, Noct and Nova borrow the old kings' powers?" Prompto asked.

"More or less. At this rate, they'll soon rival their fathers' legacies." Ignis answered as he adjusted his glasses.

"The Copycat King and Enchantress." Gladiolus teased.

"Shut up." Noctis stated good-naturedly.

"Or what?" Nova teased, "You can't do anything to them."

"He can't?" Solis asked.

"Of course not! Then he'd have no protection!" Nova laughed.

"She's not wrong!" Prompto grinned.

Noctis rolled his eyes as the entire party laughed.

* * *

 _"_ _I am perfectly okay with them teasing me, as long as it keeps Nova's mind away from the memories and what ifs I know are haunting her. If I can keep even some of her emotional pain at bay by being a joke punching bag, then I will."_

* * *

 _Daddy guiding Nova through her first dance._

 _Papa guiding Noctis through his first spar._

 _They were both fourteen._

* * *

When they reached the exit of the trench, Noctis' phone rang.

As the king spoke, the Enchantress lazily raised both her hands above her head. She lowered them as a ballet dancer would before she brought her right arm up in a windmill motion, her left arm following until her right arm was down and her left arm was up. She then circled them in front of her before she windmilled her arms again, right arm leading the way until it was down and her left arm was up. She bent down to the ground, her right arm up and her left down before she straightened up and pivoted off her left leg, her right leg bent, with her left arm up and her right arm down as she spun. As she faced forward again, she stretched her right arm up diagonally and her left arm down diagonally as her eyes closed and her left leg crossed in front of her right. As she opened her eyes, her palms flipped so they were up and her left leg bent.

As she danced, drops of water and small flames followed her hands and lingered where her hands had gone.

"What's up?" Prompto asked, breaking Nova's concentration, though she didn't show it as she straightened up and the water and fire faded.

"People to see, bases to burn. Let's go see Monica at the outpost." Noctis answered.

"Why do you say that as if it's a normal thing?" Solis asked as he returned all the flashlights to his backpack.

"Because with Noct king, it is at the moment." Gladiolus grinned teasingly.

"Thanks, Gladio." Noctis said sarcastically, his eyes darting to the giggling Nova and a small smile crossed the king's face.

"Hey Nova?" Solis spoke up.

"Yes?" The Enchantress questioned.

"What was that dance you were doing just now?" The scholar asked, his voice curious as he readied his notepad.

"It's called the Chorus Disciplina, or the Training Dance of the Enchanter or Enchantress." Nova explained as Solis hurriedly scribbled the information down. "It's an ancient dance that my tribe used to practice their magic when they weren't helping sail or when they had reached land for a time. My ancestors continued the tradition even after they made the vow to protect the king of Lucis."

 _Daddy teaching her the Chorus Disciplina for the first time._

 _Daddy smiling proudly as she mastered the Chorus Disciplina._

 _Papa complimenting her as he spied on her practice, making her blush._

"Interesting…" Solis began to mumble to himself as they walked.

"Oh come on, don't tell me you're worse than Iggie!" Prompto whined.

"What was that, Prompto?" Ignis asked, his gaze sharpening as he gazed at the gunman.

"Oh, uh, nothing!" Prompto laughed nervously as he gazed at the chef.

"Looks like Iggie can scare Prompto better than I can." Gladiolus chuckled.

"Gladio!" Prompto whined as the entire party, excluding the still distracted Solis, laughed at his expense.

* * *

Before they headed off to find Monica, however, the party made camp.

"Hand me your shirt." Nova instantly said to Gladiolus.

"What?" The shield questioned.

"My job's sewing, right? So give me your shirt." The Enchantress insisted. Sighing, Gladiolus complied and handed her his shirt before he began to help Noctis set up while Prompto tried to help Ignis cook before he was sent off to gather materials alongside Solis.

As they worked, Nova began to hum her tribe's song under her breath. Soon, Noctis joined in as well as Gladio. Once Solis and Prompto returned, the whole camp was humming as Prompto snapped pictures left and right.

* * *

 _"_ _He took so many pictures of just this one night!" Ben gasped as he looked at the whole page of pictures._

 _"_ _Of course he did, Benny!" Lucy pointed out to her older brother. "See?"_

 _Written on the page was a message._

After such awful news all in one day, I thought it was amazing we could all be so happy at the end of it. I wanted to capture this moment so I took as many pictures as possible. Gladio teased me about being excessive but I don't care.

* * *

The next morning, as the sun rose, the party made their way to the base where they found Monica.

"Monica!" Gladiolus hissed as they reached her.

"Your Majesty, it's good to see you." Monica bowed as they approached.

"You too. So, what's the plan?" Noctis asked.

"From here we will split into two groups. Prince Noctis, please join the marshal up ahead." Monica explained. "The rest of you will join me in the diversionary effort."

"I'll see you guys later." Noctis promised as he faced his friends.

"Be careful." Nova whispered as she gave Noctis a tight hug. Noctis wrapped his arms around her waist and buried his face in her neck briefly. He knew this wouldn't be the last time he saw her but it could very well be the last time she let him hold her like this.

"I will." Noctis whispered in her ear. Nova nodded against his neck before she stepped back and smiled at him.

 _Daddy and Papa smiling as they said goodbye._

"You go give 'em hell. We'll do the same on our end." Gladiolus smiled at the king.

Noctis nodded before he headed off to meet Cor.

"Follow me." Monica said.

* * *

Within minutes, the party of six was causing the biggest diversion they could, which drew many soldiers to the front gate where they were.

"I haven't had this much fun in a while!" Gladiolus laughed as he swung his sword and cut through several soldiers at once.

"With all the fighting we've done and you're still saying that?" Solis questioned as he formed a sword and sliced through the soldiers as fast as humanly possible.

"That's Gladio for you!" Prompto grinned as he fired bullet after bullet while ducking and weaving through enemies or using one of the others as a shield in order to avoid being hit.

"If you're all quite done, we have work to do." Ignis stated as he threw daggers in quick succession in between spurts of attacking soldiers head on with them, cutting off their hands when he could.

"On it, Ignis!" Nova said before she prayed, "Oh, King of Conquering, grant me your strength. Fire!" She spread her arms out and arrows made of fire shot out at the soldiers as well as into the sky, calling the other soldiers to them.

Finally, they took all the soldiers out just as the gate opened.

"Noct!" Prompto and Nova cried in unison, their voices full of relief.

"Marshal. It's good to see you again." Ignis nodded.

"You guys took all of these soldiers out by yourselves?" Solis asked in awe as he looked around at the many soldiers that Noctis and Cor had fought.

"No big deal." Noctis shrugged.

"Yeah, sure." Nova rolled her eyes as she walked over and grabbed the king's arm. "This cut says otherwise." Sure enough, there was a fairly good sized cut on Noctis' arm. "Cure." The Enchantress whispered and the healing green light covered the cut. When the light vanished, the cut was healed.

"Whoa…" Prompto and Solis whispered in awe.

"Alright on your end?" Noctis asked as he gazed at all the fallen soldiers behind his friends.

"Right as rain. The Niffs couldn't take their eyes off us." Gladiolus grinned as he gestured to said soldiers.

"Thanks to you we were spared their attention." Cor acknowledged.

 _"_ _Stay right where you are!"_ A voice suddenly yelled.

"Who's that?" Solis cried as he looked around for the source.

"Loqi Tummelt." Cor stated as he gazed up at the transport where the voice was being announced.

 _"_ _Well, well, if it isn't Cor the Immortal. So, you survived the Citadel."_ Loqi mocked. _"But you won't survive what I have in store for you. Its past time your legend came to an end."_ By now, the transport had landed and now opened to reveal a walker coming out.

"Uh, what do we do?" Prompto asked, his voice scared.

"We fight, of course." Ignis stated, as if it were a simple fact.

"We won't die here." Nova vowed, her voice steeled.

"Get ready." Gladiolus voiced, holding his sword tightly.

"What do you say, Noct?" Solis spoke up, preparing to form a weapon.

"Let's do this." Noctis said, voice determined.

"Here he comes." Cor warned.

"Gladio, Nova, Solis, you guys take out these soldiers." Ignis ordered. "The rest of us will focus on Loqi."

"Got it!" Everyone but Cor chorused.

* * *

Gladiolus and Solis teamed up, the shield taking out many different soldiers while the scholar protected him, pushing soldiers back until Gladiolus could take them out.

"Now, Nova!" Gladiolus yelled.

"Oh, King of Conquering, grant me your strength." Nova prayed before she bent down and placed her hands on the ground. "Fire!" The ground lit on fire as Gladiolus and Solis jumped out of range, Solis using a newly formed spear to vault himself away. The soldiers, however, didn't move and were consequently burned to ashes.

Solis ran forward and speared the rest of the soldiers until they were corralled in one spot, several spears digging in the ground to keep them there.

"Gladio!" Solis cried.

The shield ran forward and took out the soldiers in one swift yet fierce blow.

* * *

Meanwhile, Noctis warped so his sword dug straight into the machine Loqi wielded.

Cor and Ignis attacked the legs repeatedly as Prompto shot bullet after bullet.

"Uh, guys? Is this even doing anything?" Prompto asked as he tried to avoid the machine's leg. It didn't work entirely, as he felt a bruise forming on his own leg.

"It's a work in progress." Ignis grunted as he jumped back and threw his daggers while Noctis crashed into the ground, having been knocked off the machine.

"Isn't doing much!" Noctis called as he stood up.

"If we can knock it down, we have a chance! Until then, Your Majesty, keep warping while you can." Cor instructed.

"Got it." Noctis grunted before he warped once again.

"Knock it down, got it." Prompto nodded before he began repeatedly shooting at the legs, even as he felt a few lasers grazing his arm. Of course, when the lasers didn't stop, he knew he was gonna have a problem soon.

As if she sensed it from across the battlefield, Nova yelled,

"Prompto, Cure!"

Prompto grinned in thanks before he shot a straight bullseye at the machine's ankle.

Noctis dropped out of warp in the air before he summoned the Axe of the Conqueror and swiftly lowered it onto the machine right before he fell off, landing thankfully on his feet. He could feel the cuts and bruises on his back and arms from the many falls he's already suffered due to this robot.

"This thing better be going down soon." Noctis commented as he took out a potion and downed it quickly.

"Everyone get back!" Ignis cried as Cor jumped and sliced at the robot, causing it to tip over and fall.

"Now!" Cor ordered and they all moved in at once.

Noctis summoned his sword and attacked several times, his breathing shallower than normal yet he did not stop.

Ignis dragged his daggers across the robot, his shallow cuts becoming deeper with each drag and causing more sparks.

Prompto shot the same spot repeatedly, his rounds flying faster than a normal person could see and causing deeper dents with each one.

Cor dug his sword into an open cut and dragged it through as much as he could reach, cutting the circuits inside and causing the robot to short circuit.

Finally, the robot was down.

"Run!" Ignis ordered and the party of seven escaped as quickly as they could.

* * *

Once they were safely away from the base, Nova began to heal everyone while Cor faced Noctis.

"Impressive. Seeing you in action puts my mind at ease. It's clear I don't need to worry anymore." The Marshal stated. "I'll return to watching the Niffs. 'Til next time, take care." With that, Cor and Monica left to take care of other business.

"We did it…" Solis whispered in shock. "We actually did it…"

"Did you expect anything else?" Prompto asked cheekily.

"Says the one that didn't think we could take that thing down." Noctis called back as he began to walk, leading the way.

"You weren't much better, King of Getting Thrown Around Like a Ragdoll." Nova commented as she finished healing the king's back.

 _Daddy healing her after a training spell gone wrong._

 _Nova healing Chiara after a training spell gone wrong._

"Thanks Nova." Noctis stated, both sarcastic yet serious at the same time. Prompto made sure he took a picture of the two at that point.

"Ain't so bad out here once you get used to it." Gladiolus commented.

"Still a lot we haven't seen, though." Prompto added as Ignis drove the Regalia up beside them.

 _"_ _Why are they_ walking _?!" The boys cried in shock._

 _"_ _Shush!" The girls hissed._

"And a lot for us to do." Ignis reminded as he waved them into the Regalia.

"That's right." Solis nodded, "We won't be sightseeing for a while, at least."

"Buck up. We're just getting started." Gladiolus stated.

"But we're not going down without a fight. Let's do this!" Nova grinned.

 _Dante and Chiara smiling as her and Noctis danced at their vow renewal._

 _Daddy and Papa each dancing with her at her vow renewal._

 _Noctis smiling at her, love in his eyes._

 _Nova was free to be herself again, to love her husband and father-in-law again._

 _That future isn't lost. It's what I'm fighting for._

* * *

 _"_ _I don't know what will happen next but I do know that I'm not giving up. I'll save my kingdom, I'll find my children and I'll make my father proud. That is a promise."_

* * *

 _"_ _Where are they going next?" Lucy asked excitedly._

 _"_ _I bet they're gonna go find Lady Lunafreya!" Mia bet._

 _"_ No. _They gotta find the Six first!" Ben protested._

 _"_ _Why don't we listen and find out?" Matthew asked before he turned to the grandparents._

 _"_ _Well, sit down and we'll get back to reading." Grandma smiled._

 _"_ _This is just the beginning, after all." Grandpa added with a mischievous grin._

* * *

 **And there's the chapter! The Chorus Disciplina is Rayfa from Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Spirit of Justice's dance, in case you don't know. Also, I'm not sure what spells the other kings should help Nova with. The Wise is Water and the Conqueror is Fire. If you guys have any ideas for the others, that would help a lot. Thanks! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Leave a review to let me know what you think! Later!**


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